Advanced Relativity
by Trendkill
Summary: Returning home from Sinnoh, Ash has begun to experience emotions he's never known before and wonder seriously about his future. Following an old friend's advice, he embarks with May on a new journey in Unova - a journey which will present him with his greatest challenge yet: understanding the complexities of reality and life.


Advanced Relativity

Part I - Distortion

Chapter One

Uncertainty

"Hey Dawn! No need to worry!"

It was nothing more than a simple turn of phrase, but it signified something much greater. It meant it was the end.

Dawn called back to them, waving her arms wide, but her reply went unheard. Even with Piplup's help, it was futile. Their voices were lost in the tumult of the ship's roaring horn and engines.

Ash stood with Brock at the stern, and he waved for as long as he felt he could. When his arms tired, he relented.

Backing away from the railing a step, Ash sighed.

"Well..." Brock said, turning to face him, "that's that."

Ash wasn't sure what to say. He had never had a way with words. Brock's comment was so simple, but it really did say everything.

"Yeah," was the best reply Ash could find.

"You know," said Brock after a moment of silence, "this has always been my least favorite part of a journey."

"Huh?" he mumbled back. "What part?"

"The _going home_ part," Brock answered. Folding his arms over his chest, he turned to face the sea again.

"Oh, right..." Ash said. For a few moments, he wracked his brain in a futile effort to think of something deep to say. Nothing came.

"There's no reason to sound so down about it, you know," Brock said after some time. "It's not like you don't have plenty more to look forward to once you get home. With the number of times you've parted ways with your friends, I would have figured you were used to it by now."

For once, Brock's wisdom and intuition was wrong.

"But that's the thing," said Ash, reaching a hand up toward his shoulder to give Pikachu a few strokes under the chin. "I _don't_ know what to look forward to once I get home."

"Really?" Brock inquired, an eyebrow raised. "Don't you have any plans? Any ideas?"

"No," Ash replied, shaking his head glumly. "But it's not like that's any different than any of the other times I've come home from a journey. I've never had any idea what I was going to do next..."

"And so this is the first time that's bothered you, huh?"

"It's the first time I've even _thought _about it," Ash replied in affirmation.

"I don't think it's going to be that much of a problem, Ash," Brock said sympathetically. "Adventure seems to find you wherever you go."

"Yeah, but..." Ash started, having some trouble forming his thoughts. "But... why would I suddenly get worried about the future _now_? I don't understand why it's bugging me..."

A knowing grin adorning his face, Brock folded his arms and looked back out at sea.

"Tell me," he said, "how long have you and I been on the road together?"

"You and me?" replied Ash. "Um... a long time, let me count... something like... _nine years_, maybe?"

"That's about right," Brock replied. "It's been about nine years. And do you know what's happened in those nine years?"

"A ton of things have happened, Brock. How am I supposed to answer that?"

"You're missing the point," Brock told him.

"I am?"

"Mhmm," Brock stated with a nod. "Whether or not you've ever stopped to think about it, you're almost twice as old now as you were when you first showed up at Pewter City Gym, when I first met you. You've grown up."

"Huh," Ash said, taking off his cap and running his fingers through his hair as he contemplated. It really never had occurred to him. Nineteen was almost twice as much as ten. He had been on the road for nearly half of his life. "I... I guess you're right, but... I'm not really sure about that _growing up _thing. Unless you mean I've gotten taller, because-"

"No no," Brock halted him, shaking his head. "It's obvious that you've gotten taller. You're taller than me. What I'm talking about is a change that comes from within."

"Within?"

"That's right. And it's a change that you might never have noticed or understood, but it's unavoidable. It happens to everyone."

"But what _is _the change?" Ash demanded.

"It's called coming of age. You know, reaching maturity. _Growing up_."

"So what does that have to do with me worrying about what I'm going to do next? Just because I've gotten older doesn't mean that I have to start worrying about everything."

"And that's not what I'm saying," Brock told him. "What I'm trying to tell you is that whether or not you're aware of it or understand it, your mind has started to think about things in a more adult way. And don't try to deny it, either. I've watched it happening for years and years now."

"Alright, so..." Ash started, trying to work it all out. "So you say this is happening automatically, whether or not I do anything about it, so... so does that mean that it's _normal _to wonder about the future like this?"

"I wouldn't say it's normal to worry about the future, but yes, it is normal to wonder about it. In fact, it's expected. You're _supposed _to think about your future more seriously than you did when you were a kid."

"I guess that makes sense and all," said Ash with a shrug, "but that doesn't solve my problem."

"What exactly _is _your problem?"

"It's that I don't know what I'm going to do when I get home!"

"Okay, now we're going in circles..." Brock sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Let's try a different approach. What kinds of things have been on your mind lately?"

"Geez..." Ash lamented, rubbing at his neck. "I dunno... A lot of things, I guess."

"Well that doesn't really narrow it down..." Brock stated. "But - I can tell you something that's been on my mind a lot recently."

"What's that?"

"My future, starting when I get home."

"Are you worried about it?"

"Kinda, maybe," Brock said with an unsure shrug. "I'm not sure what I think about it. It's a bit different from what you say you're wondering, though. I wonder if I'm making the right choices, and if I'm going to really miss this life on the road, and if I'm really up for the challenge of becoming a doctor. And then I also wonder if I'm ever going to end up meeting a girl who actually shares the same feelings for me that I do for her, and if by going to medical school I'm going to delay that even longer, if it can even happen..."

Ash's immediate reaction was to simply laugh and shake his head because Brock had brought up his rotten luck with women for what was easily the six-hundred-thousandth time, but there was something about Brock's tone that tipped him off that this was not his normal routine. Brock sounded much more serious, and Croagunk was nowhere in sight.

"What do you mean, 'if it can even happen'?" Ash asked him.

"Eh, I just wonder sometimes," Brock said with an earnest shrug. "Wonder if I even have it in me to actually be in a serious relationship with anyone."

"Why would you wonder about that?"

"Because I'm twenty-four," he said flatly. "Twenty-four years, and I've never, ever been in that situation before. I've been shot down hundreds of times. Literally, hundreds of times. At this rate, it seems like it might be another twenty-four before I even come close."

Ash felt downright sad. He had never heard Brock talk about his situation in such a depressing way. The unnerving part was that he knew Brock was speaking honestly about it.

"But!" Brock said, suddenly perking up. His abrupt change in posture and countenance made both Ash and Pikachu jump in surprise. "But, that's the interesting thing about the future. You never know what will happen."

"But from what you were just saying, I thought that was the scary thing about it, too..." Ash said, trying to reconcile the two conflicting statements.

"It's both," Brock told him. "Trust me, it's both. And so, that's why it's not worth your time to _worry _about the future. Plan for it, give it some thought, but don't worry about it. Time and time again, you've proven that you have the strength to handle whatever you may face - and I can guarantee you that's not going to change."

* * *

"_You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl."_

May repeated those words in her head while she walked leisurely through the familiar confines of Petalburg City. She remembered using the same phrase on a journey long ago, at a time in her life when she never would have believed how badly she would eventually miss her home. It had been so long since she had been back here, too long.

It was a bizarre feeling seeing how the city had changed since she had last been there. She knew it was the same place, but before she had left home for the first time, she knew every stoplight and storefront by heart. Now, everywhere she looked, little things were different. Words and colors that hadn't been there before, new traffic patterns, and even more people.

May knew it was rather foolish to have expected the city not to change at all, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She didn't want to admit it, but it was something of a disappointment. It wasn't that she wanted the city back the way it was when she had left it, but rather that she wished she had been there to see it grow.

After all, the city had missed how much she had grown in those missing years.

Even her home looked different. That change was no surprise, however, as she had heard plenty of updates on the renovation from her parents via phone calls. Still, it lessened the relief of finally being back, replacing a sliver of it with the newfound doubt of exploring something never before seen.

Of course, as soon as she was swarmed by her parents and her brother, the notion of relief seemed rather silly. Sure they wanted to talk, but it had been such a long journey to get back here, and now all she wanted was to rest. With a great deal of difficulty, she was able to escape them after only half an hour. The rest of the day was hers.

Finally back in her own room, door locked behind her, it was time to unwind. With a swoosh of the fabric and a creak of the frame, she plopped down onto her bed. Releasing a deep yawn she eagerly kicked off her shoes and stretched out.

"What a day..." she said quietly to herself, only halfway serious. The comfort of the familiar cushion beneath her was marvelous, but it wasn't enough to convince the dark cloud in her mind to go away. She was quite sick of that dull gray thing, really. It had been there for far too long. It had settled there during the Johto Grand Festival, which she really didn't want to think about ever again if she could avoid it. Even so, she had known that particular storm was brewing weeks before it arrived.

May sat up in bed and turned her attention to the mirror on the opposing wall. She stared. She couldn't remember ever thinking anything like it before, but she hated what she saw in her reflection. It wasn't her. It _couldn't _really be her. The real May was never so down for so long. Never before, anyway.

She wanted to look into that mirror and smile, but she knew it would be a false one. She hated that, too. Two and a half years in Johto, and what did she have to show for it? Five ribbons, a few new Pokemon, and nothing else. The thought of it drove her to dig through her pack in search of her ribbon case. Upon finding it, she opened it up. Once more, she frowned. She remembered having a great feeling of pride and accomplishment when she had won her ribbons in Hoenn and Kanto. When she looked at this set, her five from Johto, there were no such fond memories.

Discontent, May snapped the lid shut and tossed the case onto her bed, and then turned her bag upside down and dumped out its complete contents. She immediately shook her head. She saw things emerge from the dark depths of her bag that she hadn't used or even seen in what seemed like ages. She had completely forgotten about some of these things, mostly junk. But then, well-hidden in the cluttered pile, she found something of great significance.

Carefully extracting the object and holding it up to the light, she gazed upon the half-moon form of her ribbon from the Terracotta contest, split with Ash so long ago. Once more, she wanted to smile, but she wasn't sure she should. It had been a very long time since she had last held the keepsake, and for good reason.

Turning it slowly, she could just barely see it. She knew it was there, though - that wretched dent. May remembered well the day she had damaged it, as much as she didn't want to remember. She felt her face start to flush over red in a mix of anger and embarrassment. She regretted so much, and this ribbon was a physical manifestation of it.

Content to look at the thing no longer, she strode over to her dresser, pulled open the top drawer, and placed the half-ribbon among her dozens of other charms and mementos. Swiftly, she closed the drawer. She knew there would be a time when she was ready to fix the ribbon, among other things, but today was not the day.

Nothing was right today.

* * *

Evening fell upon the ship, convincing Ash and Brock to retire to their room for the night. Several hours had passed since they left the harbor, but there was something that was still really tearing at Ash.

"Brock, were you serious when you said you thought you might get to be twice as old and still have never had a girlfriend?"

Seated in a rather stiff chair in the far corner of their cabin, Brock looked up at Ash. His younger companion was sitting up on his bed, arms folded and looking at him intently.

"Why do you ask?" Brock questioned him.

"It's just... I've never heard you be so _negative _about it before. You know, your luck with girls..."

"Heh, it is pretty bad, isn't it?" Brock replied, shaking his head. "But to answer your question, yes, it could happen. It also might not happen. Either one is possible."

"But do you really think that it will?"

"I'm... not sure, really."

Ash let out a grunt of exasperation. That was not the kind of answer he was seeking.

"Well _that _doesn't help at all," he grumbled.

"Doesn't help what?" Brock asked him.

"Um... you see..." Ash started somewhat nervously, not sure he really wanted to take the conversation where it was soon to be headed. "It's just... I've never given it much thought before, but I'm not much younger than you, and I've never really had a shot at it either."

Brock tightened his brow and looked at Ash closely, in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"A shot at... having a girlfriend?" Brock inquired.

"Um... yeah, actually," Ash admitted, beginning to regret his decision to bring it up at all. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm talking about..."

Brock struggled to organize his thoughts. There were easily a dozen and a half different things that all came rushing to mind.

"I... I don't mean to offend or anything, but... I really wasn't sure you were, uh, _interested _in that sort of thing. I mean, we've been traveling for a really long time and I honestly can't remember the last time you said anything about liking a girl - if you _ever _did, really..."

"I dunno," Ash said, scratching at the back of his head. "It's weird. It's like dating was something I knew about, but I never pictured myself actually doing it."

"And it's not like I've set a good example for you, either," Brock lamented. "But still, _really_? Have you never seriously thought about this before? Don't tell me that what I said earlier suddenly got you thinking about this."

"Well, I guess I had _kinda _thought about it before," Ash said. "Maybe not ever really thought about it, but I had kinda wondered..."

"What do you mean?" Brock asked. "I honestly don't understand what you're saying."

"How can I explain it..." Ash muttered to himself. "It... I guess... really the first time I ever actually gave it _any _thought was when we were staying at Lake Valor for the Wallace Cup."

Brock felt as if several light bulbs had suddenly turned on in his head. Restraining himself, he encouraged Ash to keep talking.

"Go on..." Brock coaxed.

"You know, we were at Lake Valor for the contest and May came all the way from Johto to visit and compete... and it was just _awesome_. I was really glad to see her again. It was great having her around. But then, after she left and went back to Johto, I... I actually missed her. I missed her a _lot_. Way more than I had when we parted ways after the battle frontier. It was weird..."

"What made it so different from the time before?" Brock asked him.

"It was just... _different_. It was like I was remembering all this stuff about her that had never mattered before. I had never thought about any of it before, like none of it had ever occurred to me. Dumb, little things like the way her voice sounded and how she said things, the way she looked in her new traveling gear and her contest costume. And there were all these stupid things I kept thinking about... Little details, like the way her face looked that one time or the other, some little bit of a conversation that wasn't important... just weird."

"Interesting," Brock commented. "So how long after the Wallace Cup did you think about all this stuff?"

"I've been thinking about it less and less since then, but it never went away completely. I thought about it a lot today, though. Even before we got on the ship."

"So is this why what I said earlier really got to you?"

"Maybe," Ash replied, honestly not at all sure. "I don't think I've ever seen May as, well... like if she was my _girlfriend _or whatever, but... I've been thinking about her for a long time."

"Yeah, well, you see, Ash, that's what it's like to have a crush on somebody. You know - to _have feelings _for them, as they say."

"I- I don't- I..." Ash stuttered frantically, feeling his face heat up.

"You do," Brock said succinctly. "Whether or not you think you do, you do. Take my word for it."

"But- I..."

Lost for words, Ash folded his arms tightly and tried to think it through. He made no progress whatsoever.

"Here's a simple test," Brock said.

"A test?"

"A test," Brock replied with a nod of confirmation.

"I don't want to take a test."

"It's only one question long, and it's a yes or no answer. And you don't have a choice."

"Um... alright. What's the question?"

"Consider this scenario," Brock said in a rather astute tone. "You are holding May. Not simply like a congratulatory victory hug, but actually in an embrace with her. It is a long, tender, personal hug, one that conveys a bond stronger than simply friendship. Do you have a good mental picture of that?"

"Yeah, I think... but what's the question?"

"The question: Would you like it if this picture was real?"

Ash bit down awkwardly on his lower lip. He felt cornered. Five minutes ago he wasn't even sure what he was thinking, and now Brock had him verbally pinned down for a confession.

"Well, I..." Ash started. "I think I would."

"Then there's your answer. Yes, you like May. You _like _her."

Ash really didn't appreciate the way Brock overemphasized _like _in his statement.

"Maybe I do," Ash said somewhat bitterly. "But what I _don't _like is how you've made it all seem so simple. I don't have any idea what's going on! I can't seem to get it all figured out with all these crazy things I've been thinking about and you've already come to the conclusion that I have a crush on her! I don't even understand what a crush is supposed to be! I always thought it was a girly kinda thing..."

"Ha!" Brock scoffed. "It actually _is _a poor choice of words. I think it would be better to say that you're _interested _in May. You know, romantically."

"_Romance?_" Ash blurted out, suddenly waking the previously drowsing Pikachu. "I'm not interested in that mushy stuff!"

"Romance is a much broader set of things than that, Ash," Brock assured him. "But if you're not comfortable with the idea, drop that word for now. It's up to you to figure out what you're feeling."

"But _how _do I figure that out?" Ash asked him, almost as if he was begging for the answer.

"Maybe you'll disagree," Brock answered, "but I think that figuring it out is what you should do once you get home."

Ash slumped his shoulders. That was not the answer he had been hoping to receive.

"That doesn't help much," he muttered woefully.

"I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do," Brock told him. "Believe me, I wish I could give you a better answer, but I can't. It really is up to you to figure it out. In fact, from here onward, it's going to be up to you to figure out everything. I don't want to sound so grim about it, but I'm not going to be there with you anymore, and you need to be prepared for that."

"I... I understand."

"I can't tell you what the wrong or right choice is for this one, Ash. I can't tell you what you should do with your life, your future. But I _do _think that it's important that you always follow the path you want to follow. Let your heart guide you. And no matter what happens, face it with courage, not with fear. Trust me, there's nothing worse than regret."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ash replied, uncertain what to think.


End file.
